LSU baseball right-hander Zac Cowan has been selected by the Cleveland Guardians with the No. 573 overall pick in the 19th round of the 2026 MLB Draft.
Cowan is the eighth LSU player to be selected in the draft. The assigned slot value of his selection is worth an unspecified amount of money.
Cowan was one of LSU’s most important pitchers over the past two seasons. He helped guide the Tigers to a national championship in 2025 and was one of their top relief pitchers this spring.
“Cowan kind of runs into the no fastball (problem). He’s a good changeup guy,” a scout told The Advocate. “But someone should give him a chance. He throws strikes. He’s a veteran guy. He can pitch in multiple roles.”
He posted a 2.94 ERA in 52 innings in his first season at LSU and started the Tigers’ second win over Arkansas at the College World Series, a victory that sent them to the CWS final. This season, he had a 5.32 ERA in 44 innings, allowing seven more home runs than he did the prior season.
Cowan began his career at Wofford, spending two seasons there before transferring to LSU.
